CoVid-19 and the 2021 Burning Man Event

[ygmir]

... ... Will it ever be somewhat safe?? ...

Guess what.
The planet was not engineered as a support system for humans. We are every bit as random as any virus or dinosaur, and equally subject to the forces of nature including extinction.

Also, there are over 7 Billion of us now, which is 6 Billion too many.

Have a nice day.

yeah that right there. I don't see that being a function of medical advancement, as much as agricultural. We feed way more people than can feed themselves.

[Elliot]

... ... I don't see that being a function of medical advancement, as much as agricultural. We feed way more people than can feed themselves.

Our automobile mechanics repair way more cars than people can repair themselves, and our cobblers make way more shoes than people can make for themselves.

Me, I keep failing at growing grapes and tomatoes and such in the "nutrient-free" clay soil where I live, but I can repair bicycles like a god.

No, I was thinking of a Noah's Ark type of reduction of the human population, to bring the planet back to a better balance.
Of course, that depends on one's definition of "better".
I'll shut up now. This is way more above my head than I ought to try figuring out. (Not that it needs figuring out, ha ha.)

[some seeing eye]

I'm equally pessimistic and optimistic. I think the planet will be back to maybe 2 billion by 2100. That is because as the standard of living improves it is usually accompanied by women's education and opportunities, leading to lower birth rates.

[The Rod]

Scarcity is a myth. So much so that at this point it's a fucking joke.

There is currently enough food produced and thrown away in the US alone to feed the global population. Globally, enough food is produced to feed 10 billion. The issue is not the earths carrying capacity. The issue is geo-politics and value systems that dictate that its acceptable for billions of people to live and die in poverty and war.

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That is because as the standard of living improves it is usually accompanied by women's education and opportunities, leading to lower birth rates.

Exactly. Over-population (or over-reproduction, which is what it really is) is a symptom of poverty, not that "We feed way more people than can feed themselves." We are currently not feeding enough people, rather than feeding too many.

[^Rhino!]

Scarcity of natural resources isn't a myth. It's real, and there's only a limited amount of substitution possible. We can conceivably feed 7-8 billion people, but the problem always has been the transportation of food to the areas that need it. Add to that the compounding fact of soil nutrient depletion, soil erosion, loss of potable water supplies and the inability of politicians and political 'systems' to work for the general good of the people the problem is increasingly dire,

[Simon of the Playa]

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[ygmir]

[redacted]
Jeexe, I wrote several paragraphs of my thoughts on overpopulation and all, then realized it's too much thread drift, and not really worth the discussion with some.
I do hope whomever wants Burning Man to return, gets some semblance of it, at some point though.

[^Rhino!]

Ygmir, I wish for many blessings upon you and anyone else who possesses the desire to return to Burningman. I also wish to remind all that a 'Burningman state of mind' requires kindness to all, the willingness to aid others who need help (especially those who are unable to find help or aid themselves) and to assist in the welfare of the elderly and to protect children, for they are are future.

I realize that what I'm saying is but a poor paraphrasure of the great Lakota medicine man and chief Sitting Bull's definition of a warrior, but it's exactly what we must all be - warriors for what's right, bringing the best of the Burningman do-ocracy to all.

I'm not 'burnier than thou', having only attended 8 years since 2008. I just embraced what I found were the best features and tenets of the event. I feel an obligation to pass those ideas on to non-burners to hopefully enrich their lives, and speak up to remind my fellow and beloved burners what it might be for them.

[some seeing eye]

COVID is a good reality and mortality check on what is important for humans. Most people would say that is family, community, and changing the world for the better. When calamity strikes, like the US financial crisis ~2008, artists, and people, reevaluate their priorities. It is happening some places in the art community now.

Burning Man is an extension of California material display culture. But look up the talks and books by Paul Gilding on the cultural emergence of anti-consumption. I work hard to only acquire burn stuff that has other uses in the year.

[The Rod]

Scarcity of natural resources isn't a myth. It's real, and there's only a limited amount of substitution possible. We can conceivably feed 7-8 billion people, but the problem always has been the transportation of food to the areas that need it. Add to that the compounding fact of soil nutrient depletion, soil erosion, loss of potable water supplies and the inability of politicians and political 'systems' to work for the general good of the people the problem is increasingly dire,

LMAO I dunno man the US military industrial complex sure does a damn good job transporting soldiers and weapons to every corner of the planet. Why would it be so hard to do it with food?

Oh yeah, because killing people is more important than feeding people. Illustrated so deftly by the inclination of so many people to suggest that the solution to billions of starving people is to kill them rather than feed them.

But I couldn't agree more on the point about politicians and political systems being fucking worthless. But as an agriculture professional, I can tell you that there are multiple solutions within grasp to reverse the damage that the "green revolution" method of agriculture has had on soils worldwide. Again though, the reason those solutions haven't been adopted on a wider scale goes right back to economics that prioritize money over life and failed political systems.

[The Rod]

While we cant deny the impact that Bucky has had on our beloved little desert party, its amazing that of all his great ideas the one we ran with was a dome for our orgies.

“It is now highly feasible to take care of everybody on Earth at a higher standard of living than any have ever known. It no longer has to be you or me. Selfishness is unnecessary. War is obsolete. It is a mater of converting the high technology from weaponry to livingry.”

[BBadger]

So much of this high-minded Malthusianism is just disguised contempt for poor people.

There is well more than enough resources in this world to go around, and it doesn't take all that many to substantially improve the lot of many people. Instead, we're watering alfalfa plants in America to export to China for feeding livestock. Or farming in fucking Saudi Arabia. Or dumping war materiel in places like Iraq because it costs to much to transport home. Or using the equivalent energy of the Three Gorges Dam to mine bitcoins each year. Or the stupidity of trying to colonize Mars.

Want to curtail population growth? Let us instead invest in educating women, especially in poorer nations. Create opportunity so that people delay having children. Provide education and birth control for family planning.

Want more resources to go around? Make things priced at what they actually cost, like the cost of meat, or gasoline.

The people at the bottom are not the problem, certainly not for wanting just a fraction of what those above have.

[FlyingMonkey]

Or using the equivalent energy of the Three Gorges Dam to mine bitcoins each year.

This!

Silly monkeys. What you value.

[The Rod]

Bingo.

[some seeing eye]

Colbert interviews Dr Fauci
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCaaryvAMjY

[Token]

Colbert interviews Dr Fauci
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCaaryvAMjY

Sooo , is it funny or in some other way revolutionary in content, or what?

[The Rod]

Placement sent out a thingy on tuesday. Looks like it might be a GO....

[The Rod]

But first, in order to attend the 2021 event you must play (and win!) this game!

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[some seeing eye]

Colbert interviews Dr Fauci
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCaaryvAMjY

Sooo , is it funny or in some other way revolutionary in content, or what?

That segment, 3rd of 3, discussed COVID precautions in the Burn timeframe.

[Simon of the Playa]

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